Handmade Holidays 2008!

[arabella]

ok, it's almost September, time to get serious about the holiday gift crafting! What are you making? how's your progress?

let's share ideas and inspiration and encouragement here through the next months!
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"It’s not that I don’t suffer, it’s that I know the unimportance of suffering...pain is to be fought and thrown aside, not to be accepted as a permanent scar across one’s view of existence."

[knits]

There are quite a few links on holiday crafting in the craft archives. I suggest checking them out. If anybody finds any of them interesting and replies to them I will move them back to this board.
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Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it.
- Lucy Maud Montgomery
Swagbucks.

[snoopy]

I haven't started anything, but I really should. I had queued a bunch of stuff on Ravelry a while ago for holiday gifts. I guess it's time I start on that. I should make my list of who I want to craft for.

[Gigi]

Hooray! I was wondering when a thread like this would show up.

I'm pretty far into my holiday crafting. All that's left is a throw blanket for my aunt and uncle and a set of golf club cozies for my dad (which I'm not even sure is, um, possible). Most of it was accomplished over the summer when my school and work schedules were less demanding; here's hoping I'll be productive enough to get it all finished in time!

[knits]

This year I plan to make a set of five stockings for an early Christmas gift. I’m currently working on the fourth.

I plan to knit two pairs of women’s socks using sock yarn – one is almost done.

I plan to knit two pairs of men’s socks using worsted weight yarn.

I plan to knit five bookmarks – I’ve knit one.

I plan to make two grocery bag dispensers. I have one finished.

I plan to make seven ornaments – either knitted hearts or matchbox collages.

The kiddos in one family are getting stuffed toys.

For food gifts I plan to make a few batches of fudge, some chocolate chip cookies, and some hummus.

I plan to make five bags of some kind so that when we empty our stockings we have a place to put the stuff that comes out of them. I’m not sure if I will do tote bags or drawstring bags. They’ll go in the toe of the stockings.

That’s all I have planned at the moment. I'm pleased to have it started. Hopefully I'll get a bit more finished this weekend. I'd like to have time to make some unplanned gifts.
_________________
Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it.
- Lucy Maud Montgomery
Swagbucks.

[pitseleh]

i'm thinking about doing jar mixes this year along with the baking and candies i usually do, i found a lot of appealing mixes.

everyone i know is being thriftier with their food budgets, so i think they'd be pretty well appreciated.

i'm going to ask a girlfriend if she wants to make some too, we can pool resources to get a better price on bigger quantities of flour, sugar, oats, etc...

here are some of the ones i have my eye on...

Gingerbread Pancake Mix

Texas Cornbread Mix

Cinnamon Oat Pancake Mix

Ginger Snap Granola

Chewy Brownie Mix In A Jar

Oatmeal-Chip Cookie Mix In A Jar

i'm still figuring out some other crafty gifts and looking for some savory mixes as well.

--jessie
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i don't shine if you don't shine

[arabella]

I want to do some food gifts too.

I'm thinking:
- jam sweetened with stevia or agave instead of sugar
- limoncello!
- Baileys
- tamales - this is SUCH a production though I might have to do lumpia instead but those aren't as easy to reheat and eat
- Tajik style salsa (we made this a couple years ago and it was a big hit)
and I'd love to dry some herbs from our garden and give those too
_________________
"It’s not that I don’t suffer, it’s that I know the unimportance of suffering...pain is to be fought and thrown aside, not to be accepted as a permanent scar across one’s view of existence."

[pitseleh]

arabella, great idea on the tamales!!!

we've been so spoiled by having access to lots of "tamale ladies" through my husband's job... but i would love to make them myself.

my inlaws would go crazy for it, they love when we bring them tamale lady tamales, but homemade!

you've got me scheming now!

--jessie
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i don't shine if you don't shine

[Lilly-Lu]

I am excited to see this thread up and running - I have been thinking about holiday crafting as well. Last year I crafted two gifts and got another one handmade for my dad; this year I want to do even more handmade stuff.

For my niece and nephew I am thinking of experience-type gifts. Like spending time with my niece spinning and knitting (which she loooooves to do). Or taking my nephew out somewhere fun...like the science museum or something. I think really that is what they would like best from me is to spend someone on one time.

I am excited reading all the posts about making food as gifts. I did this one year and it went really, really well. I think I may revive this with my niece and nephew's parents by making ginger cookies as I did one year (I shaped them into a slice and bake form).

For my mother I plan on spinning some yarn for her as she is a wonderful knitter.

For my dad I am thinking of getting a few family photos framed...I think he would like that best.

This year, though, I am setting up my own tree as I am in my own apartment for the first time (even though most likely I ownt be here for Chirstmas day). I am very excited. I have perhaps three or four ornaments from growing up and I will probably make a few to go on the tree. I really want to make my own cardboard village (you know, the kind that is lit up and decorated in a christmas scene).

[weezil]

Last year I cranked out something like 80% of the gifts we gave. I made eight three-ornament sets (plus two singles), two little wallhangy things, two purses, a knitting needle roll, a wallet, two crayon rolls, and I drew up a coloring book and had a handful printed at Kinko's. blog post. some of the things were better than others, I gotta step up my game.

This year, I don't know what I'm going to do quite yet.

My boyfriend is finishing up his very own solo record. He asked if I would make individual cases for each of them, since it's very biologically/zoologically oriented, and so is a lot of what I make. We will give some of these as gifts, but I also don't want to give them to those who won't appreciate the music as well, so I definitely need to think up more things!
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etsy shop! recent works! Linus in Hats!

[ruggedchick]

I saw this thread and immediately felt anxious, like "OH CRAP I HAVEN'T EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT THAT YET!!" but then I read the posts and got some ideas and I feel better.

I think I'll do some jar gifts for my parents, and lots of embroidered tea towels/dish towels for my friends.

MAYBE some beaded jewelry...you know, I used to love beading and I'[m just not that into it anymore.

For sure some of my better photography, matted and framed.
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beefy and confused.

[LLarmes]

I'm making coverlets for the nieces and nephews this yeyar and hopefully I will be done by December!
Last year for Christmas I made my BF's family knit gifts so I can't do that again this year.

[pitseleh]

[Liat]

I really really need to get started.

I'm planning on making some stuffed, sewn toys for my sprogling and a knit mitten and hat set.

For my hubby I have no idea. I really need to come up with something quickly though as we are trying to do a lower key, cheaper Christmas this year.

For my mom, I'm thinking of trying to finish off one of the blankets that my other mom started before she died. I just need to figure out the pattern, because she did them all from memory and I'm not that great at figuring out crochet patterns by sight.

For my best bud I'm thinking of making a shawl or capelet. She's one of the harder people to make things for as she is fairly crafty in the same ways as I am.

For my most ambitious project I want to make two blankets for my kiddos that match but don't look exactly alike. But of course I really want to quilt them at least a little and I don't quilt all that well or often =).

I'll also try and make a bunch of baking (cookies and cakes) to give out to the other bits of family that I have. I'm going to start that early though and make stuff that doesn't suffer being frozen.
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I truncated my name!

The Lover, The Lunatic and the Poet are of Imagination all compact.

[rachiepachie]

oh i am so excited to see this thread pop up! i'm back at glitter after a bit of a break and just trying to get started crafting again! here's what i'm thinking at the moment (though i have yet to start anything...!)

general (for friends) - christmas mix cd,
gingerbread/biscuits
hot chocolate/spiced tea mix
(some tea recipes here:http://www.programwitch.com/blog.asp?id=2386
maybe also slippers or mittens or a hat for a couple of my closest friends...

brother - ear-flap hat (maybe) knucks (maybe)
mum - snuggly bed-socks and probably something else i'm still considering...
dad - a nightmare to craft for. he's diabetic, so baking is a no-no, gets itchy/allergicish to wool, so no knitting really though i'm considering some socks for when he's out watching football in the cold...any other ideas??

also: handmaking christmas cards, and also saving up some craft-time nearer december for secret snowflake craft-age ;)